Arrange Applications folder by application category in OS X Finder

Applications folder tends to be a giant list of apps for many OS X users. Browsing or searching for a certain app with name forgotten could become frustrating. Fortunately OS X Finder has a useful option that allows you to arrange apps by Application Category.

This little gem is apparently not obvious to spot as the option only shows up in Finder when you are at Applications folder. Go to Finder and navigate to /Applications folder on your Mac volume. Select from menu View > Arrange By > Application Category.

Applications are now sorted and place under their corresponding categories.

This sorting by Application Category can be useful when locating an app, allowing you to zoom into a category thus narrowing your search.

App that is not downloaded from Mac App Store typically does not define its application category. Finder is not able to categorise these apps and will put them under an “Other” option at the bottom.